For the research 60 people took a test of need for cognition and were given a device to wear which measured their movement.

After 7 days it was clear that the ‘non-thinkers’ were much more active than the ‘thinkers’.

The study’s authors suggest that awareness may help thinkers combat their lower activity levels:

“…an important factor that may help more thoughtful individuals combat their lower average activity levels is awareness.

Awareness of their tendency to be less active, coupled with an awareness of the cost associated with inactivity, more thoughtful individuals may then choose to become more active throughout the day.”

At the weekends, though, the difference was less pronounced, with both groups showing similar activity levels.

The study’s authors write:

“…activity levels for high- and low-NFC individuals did not differ significantly

It is important to note that part of the ‘weekend effect’ in our study may be due to our sample population, which consisted of college students.

Although college students are a standard participant pool in the vast majority of experimental psychology studies, their behavior and habits may be more indicative of young adult behavior than adult behavior in general.

It is reasonable to assume that this ‘weekend effect’ may change as people progress through different life stages.”